


Date

by rattmann



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alcohol Withdrawal, F/F, First Dates, Flirting, How Do I Tag, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Qrow and Yang have a much needed family bonding moment, Slight ED
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:14:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21775810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rattmann/pseuds/rattmann
Summary: Qrow wasn't having the best time in Atlas. Whether it be his relapsing, the doom Salem mulling over their heads, or Clover. It definitely was Clover. He couldn't get Clover off of his mind, and he knew that Clover knew that. They decide to do something about it.Or in this case; Clover asks Qrow on a date, Yang and Qrow have a much needed moment, and Qrow goes brain dead multiple times.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 327





	Date

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to post this once before earlier, the site crashed and I lost everything so that's just bALLER.
> 
> Also lots of commentary at the bottom, so be aware.

Qrow has decided after a week of being back in Atlas, that he is officially tired of Clover Ebi’s shit. Well, he would have decided sooner if Clover wasn’t so attractive. But that isn’t the point. The point is that right now, a week after being here in Atlas, that the Ace Op was too much. Especially too cocky. And flirty. Qrow can’t forget how handsome he is either, he thinks that that’s not really fair. Again, not the point.

He was tired of Clover’s pointless winks, and lingering looks. Not to forget how confident he sounded and acted, no matter what. Qrow thinks he hates that the most. Sure, Qrow can fake confidence with ease. Key word, fake. Clover… Clover is just great. In every way. Qrow thinks it’s unfair that Clover can’t share even just a little bit of his… anything. Luck, specifically.

The Huntsman huffs, trying to rid his thoughts of Clover away as he nurses a cup of coffee. It was cold at this point, Qrow had forgotten to drink it when it was warm… mind too caught up in Clover. Not that it matters, it’s the same amount of caffeine as it would be if it was hot. Taking a sip, he chokes down the bitter taste. He wanted a different bitter taste right now. But he couldn’t do that to Yang and Ruby, not after everything they’ve been through. That doesn’t stop him from relapsing. It’s gotten… bad. Really bad. He knows the kids have noticed his shaking hands and heavy breaths. Or his permanent cold sweat. Hell, he’s sure that everyone has noticed. He’s not exactly subtle. Even though he tries his best.

Sighing, Qrow curls in on himself as the thoughts of drinking starts to take over his mind, his hand holding the coffee starts to shake, he sets it down before he breaks it. It would’ve been his fourth broken mug in the past two days if he would’ve held onto it any longer. Fuck. Was he really that bad? Running his fingers through his hair, he tugs softly. The slight pain helps numb the craving, even if it’s just a little bit. Letting out a soft whimper, he rests his forehead on the cool table. He stays like that for what feels like forever, cold sweat clinging to his body like a lifeline. He almost doesn’t notice the footsteps coming into the room, but he can’t bring himself to try to be composed. He can’t help but hope that whoever it is would just leave him be, but knowing his luck that’s not how it was going to go.

Just as he suspected, whoever came into the room deicides to sit right across from him. He can tell it’s one of the Ace Ops just by looking at the shoes. Letting out a shaky sigh, he clenches his eyes shut. He didn’t want any of them to see him like this. It’s bad enough Winter still makes her tasteless remarks everytime they’re in the same room. He guesses since the person sitting across from isn’t Winter, that’s the best his luck is going to get. He hopes it’s someone he can handle, like Marrow or Vine. Or Elm… or Harriet. Actually, scratch that. He could handle dealing with all four of them as long as he didn’t have to deal with Clover.

“Qrow? Everything alright?”

Oh. Great. Just his luck.

Sitting up slowly, he rests his cheek in his hand as he plants his elbow on the table, trying to not look as out of balance as he feels. He blinks away his blurry vision, Clover’s face greets him as soon as his eyes regained focus. Qrow licks his lips, not noticing how Clover’s eyes flicker down to watch. He gives the Ace Op an empty smile, wanting more than anything for the man to go away.

“I’m just peachy.” The lie rolls off his tongue with ease, yet judging by Clover’s eyebrows furrowing and a frown forming on his face, Qrow guesses the other man doesn’t believe it. That sucks. He thinks that was a pretty good lie. Clover seems to always be able to tell when he’s lying though.

“Qrow… you know you can talk to me.” Clover’s voice is friendly, hopeful. Qrow thinks his voice sounds like honey. He wonders if his lips taste like honey too. Ridding the thought from his head, he looks away from Clover. He doesn’t want to talk. He wants to be left alone. He knows the man would leave him be if told, but not without prying a little first. And if Qrow was honest, he doesn’t really want Clover to leave.

“Uh… it’s nothing. Really. Just… tired.” Technically that wasn’t a lie. He was tired. But it wasn’t the full truth either. Clover seems to know that as well. The Ace Op crosses his arms, concern filling his eyes. Qrow can’t bring himself to look up, he already felt bad for lying in the first place. But he couldn’t talk about this… not right now. And especially not with Clover.

“Okay… well. I’m here if you change your mind.” Qrow can only nod as they fall into silence, the only noise being Clover eating and Qrow’s heavy breathing. That was the only noise, until Marrow and Harriet walk in. Team JNR follows not long after. Qrow wonders where team RWBY is, but decides against trying to find them, he’s sure Penny is keeping them busy. He doesn’t want to interrupt.

Qrow already feels a little better with more people in the room, the noise is a welcome distraction from the painfully awkward silence he was dealing with with Clover. Team JNR sits next to him, Nora with an abnormally large amount of food with her, while Jaune settles for just a coffee, making sure to give Marrow a mug on his way to sit down. The Ace Ops’ tail swishes back and forth due to the action. Qrow blocks out Harriet teasing him about it as Ren nudges him.

“I have noticed you haven’t eaten for three days in a row. You need sustenance. It’s better to start small, I grabbed you this.” Ren offers him a small bowl of fixed fruit. Qrow’s about to deny it, before he catches Clover’s eye. Oh… he’s still here. And he heard that. And now his hands are clenched into fists. Great. Qrow looks away sheepishly, taking the bowl from Ren he mutters a meek thanks. Rather than keeping his attention on Clover, he busies himself with slowly eating the food as he listens to Nora chatter away about anything that comes to her mind. He loves these kids, he doesn’t think he’d say it out loud though. 

Well… maybe someday.

He finds himself tuning out of Nora’s talking sooner than he realizes, still too caught up in trying to make it look like he wasn’t relapsing earlier. He tries to ignore the fact that Clover’s eyes haven’t left his figure once. Any other time he’d gladly point out someone staring, but he wasn’t feeling up for it now. He wonders what Clover was thinking right now. He wonders if it was anything bad.

“Hey, Qrow? What do you do when you have single moms offering you casserole every single day?” Jaune’s voice breaks through his thoughts, he turns to the other Huntsman, processing what he had just said. He lets out a cackle, a smirk forming on his face. Jaune really is too innocent for this place.

“You got thirsty moms after ya?” Jaune nods at his question, face turning a light shade of pink as Nora points out that it’s the hair. Ren nods in agreement, stating that his new haircut definitely made him more attractive. Jaune gives him a pleading look, face turning into an even darker shade as he touches his hair self-consciously.

“Don’t sweat, kid. You’re lucky casserole is the only thing they’re making you take. Besides… maybe you’ll get a little somethin’ out of it.” Qrow shoots Jaune a teasing wink, who groans in embarrassment as he puts his head in his hands. Nora gets thrown into a fit of laughter, teasing Jaune even more. Qrow catches Clover’s eye, who’s giving him a soft smirk. He feels his breath catch in his throat and he ducks his head down, wishing the Ace Op would just go away already. But it seems like the man is enjoying his stay.

“Qrow’s right. Luck is very fortunate in that situation. Best to just keep accepting them unless you want them to do… other things. Been there, done that.” Qrow raises his eyebrow at Clover, who’s face at least lightened up a little bit in the past few minutes. Millions of questions pop into his mind about Clover’s statement, yet Nora beats him to it.

“‘Been there, done that’? What’s that supposed to mean?” She squints her eyes at the Ace Op, as if she focused hard enough she could see right through him. Clover has enough audacity to become at least a _little_ bit embarrassed. He clears his throat before continuing with what he was saying.

“Right! Uh, their flirting got more… drastic, per say? And I uh…” His gaze sweeps over to Qrow for a moment, it takes everything in the Huntsman to try to not let his emotions show. “I don’t really swing that way.”

_Oh?_

Nora nods for a moment, not seemingly interested in Clover’s reasoning for why he didn’t appreciate the flirting. She goes back to teasing Jaune, who turns a darker shade each time she pokes him in the side. Ren sighs, giving Clover an apologetic look but doesn’t proceed to say much after that. Qrow can’t help but notice the soft smile the kid has as he side-eyes Nora. Ah, kids in love. He goes back to his food, pushing the grapes aside, he shoves them to Nora who eats them all at once without even sparing him a glance. He rolls his eyes fondly before catching Clover’s gaze.

“So… you uh?” Clover nods, already knowing what he was about to ask. Qrow feels butterflies in his stomach at the Ace Ops’ soft smile. He could get used to that smile… he _wants_ to get used to that smile. He finds himself smiling back, before he shakes himself out of it and scratches the back of his head. Oh Brothers… he was in deep.

Well… maybe all hope wasn’t lost. Clover likes men… that means that he could possibly, even just slightly, have a chance? Fuck. No. What was Qrow thinking? Clover wouldn’t want to be with him. There’s no way someone so perfect would willingly want to be with him of all people. Qrow sighs, looking back down at his fruit. He wasn’t very hungry anymore. Maybe he should leave, go find a place to isolate himself and avoid people for the rest of the day. That sounds better than staying here, with Clover in front of him, looking at him. _Smiling_ at him. Wow… he really was in deep, wasn’t he?

He wants to stand up. He wants to make an excuse that he had plans today. Plans to do _what_ he wasn’t sure. But he couldn’t just make his escape without having his story planned out. The longer he sits here, the more uncomfortable he gets. The more uncomfortable he gets, the more he fidgets and the more people start to notice. Without noticing, his leg starts to bounce. He looks around, hoping to find something he could occupy himself with. Maybe he should’ve went to find team RWBY already, they’d keep him distracted. And they’d make him feel better. He certainly didn’t feel good right now.

And Clover seemed to notice that.

“Qrow?” The Huntsmans eyes shoot up to meet Clover’s, the world seems to freeze when their eyes meet. He feels his breath catch. He never tried to keep eye contact with the Ace Op, those teal eyes were too much for him to handle. But he finds that he can’t look away. He feels like he’s caught in a trance, he wonders what it would be like to kiss Clover right now.

A hand on his shoulder pulls him back into reality, he looks over to see Jaune giving him a worried look. He sheepishly looks away, waving the younger man's hand off of him, he makes the excuse that he’s just not feeling well today. Jaune doesn’t seem to buy into it, but neither did anyone else. Qrow feels his ears start to turn pink.

“Well… Nora, Ren, and I are gonna go train a bit before we head out to do some missions. If you wanna talk, you know we’re here for you. A lot of people are. But if you’re not ready that’s okay too.” Jaune gives him a warm smile, Qrow returns a smile back before the kids decide to head out. Clover’s eyes are still on him.

“Qrow… I have a question.” Clover speaks up once team JNR exits the room, eyes never leaving Qrow’s face. The Huntsman makes the point to stare off at Harriet and Marrow competing on who can finish their coffee first. Harriet wins with ease. “Why don’t you like me?”

What?

“Uh sorry… repeat that?” What the hell was Clover talking about? Qrow couldn’t imagine himself not liking Clover in a million years, no matter what sort of fucked universe they were in. Not that Clover needed to be aware of that. Like… ever.

“I know you heard me.” Qrow forces himself to drag his eyes to Clover’s face. He looks… sad? No. More confused than anything. Qrow swallows loudly, how can he tell this man he doesn’t hate him without exposing his feelings? He supposes it’d be better if Clover thought he hated him, but the Huntsman finds himself not wanting to push the man away like that. That’s the last thing he wants. He wants Clover around all the time, fuck alcohol. He’s addicted to Clover.

“I don’t… not like you.” He says awkwardly. He rubs the back of his neck, trying to find the right words to say. Clover thankfully saves him from his racing mind. The Ace Op sits up a little more straight, prompting another question.

“Then why is it that everytime I’m around, it feels like you want nothing to do with me?”

_It’s because I want everything to do with you._

Qrow sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. He doesn’t want to have this conversation right now, or ever. But it’s too late to try to escape, if he did that it would only be proving Clover’s point. Yet… he finds himself unsure of what to say. Just his luck.

Looking at Clover, he sees furrowed eyebrows and a slight frown. What is he supposed to say? ‘I have the biggest crush on you and I’m afraid it’ll ruin everything’? Absolutely not. ‘I want to kiss you until we’re both breathless’? Not happening. ‘I want to watch the stars with you while cuddling and to feel like were the only two people in the world’ Hell no. The only thing Qrow can think of saying are things he’s just not going to say. He’d rather drop dead than have to say these things to Clover. He opens his mouth, but no words come out.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Clover’s sad face lighten up in a heartbeat. He feels his cheeks heaten at the twinkle in the Ace Ops eye, and the natural smirk return on his face. He swallows once more, wondering what got Clover’s mood to brighten up like that. He wonders what Clover is about to say.

“I just need one date.”

Qrow thinks he can physically feel his brain short circuiting. He feels he might go brain dead if he stays around Clover any longer. He thinks Clover is insane. Opening his mouth, his eyes widen as he stares at Clover’s triumphant face. He’s too shocked to say anything for a moment, trying to process just what the hell the Ace Op said to him. A date? What?

“Excuse me?” That’s the only thing Qrow can manage to get out, his voice sounds like a bird squawking and he feels himself stat to turn a light shade of pink. This man just might be the death of him. Clover’s smile gets a little wider, the twinkle in his eye doesn’t dissipate, and instead seems to grow brighter. Qrow wonders if that’s part of his semblance. Being so damn attractive that is.

“That’s all I need. One date.” Qrow shifts in his seat, knowing he looks like an utter fool right now, he tries to calm his racing heartbeat. So much for always looking stoic, he can never do anything right around Clover. Especially when the man was spewing out stuff like _this._ Clearing his throat, he crosses his arms over his chest as he bites the inside of his cheek. _Play it cool, Qrow._

“You think you can woo me with just one date?”

_Jokes on you buddy, you already wooed me._

“Absolutely.”

They fall into silence, not as awkward as before thankfully. Clover waits for an answer, as Qrow tries to figure out what the hell was even happening. His life really is crazy… maybe less crazy than it has been these past couple of months. But crazy nonetheless. Is he actually about to accept a date with Clover Ebi?

Yes. Yes he is.

“Um… well. Sure. I guess.” Qrow shrugs the situation off, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible even though he’s internally screaming on the inside. Clover’s grin widens, he sits up impossibly more straight as he doesn’t even try to contain his excitement. It’s almost contagious, almost. But Qrow keeps it cool as he inhales a deep breath. Did he really just snag a date with Clover from a misunderstanding? Cool. He wonders if that’s Clover’s luck rubbing off on him, or if his semblance will make a big storm come… he’s hoping for the former.

“Wonderful! Well… I’ll catch ya later!” Clover sends a wink his way, before going to stand. Qrow gets so flustered that he doesn’t even realize Marrow making his way towards them. He almost doesn’t catch Marrow’s words either, even though he wishes he had.

“Clover! Did you know you have enough bones in your body to make a skeleton?”

“Marrow… please shut up.”

\---

It doesn’t hit Qrow until later that evening that he has a date.

He’s checking himself out in the mirror, trying to figure out what to wear. Clover didn’t exactly tell him where they were going, though he supposes it’s not the biggest issue on Remnant right now. Qrow decides to settle on black pants and a gray button up. He didn’t want to make it seem like he was trying too hard, but he also didn’t want to make it seem like he wasn’t trying at all. Besides, he knows Clover is going to look better than him anyways. The Ace Op could show up wearing a box and Qrow would still think he looks better.

Sighing, he plops down onto his bed with his head in his hands. Maybe doing this was a mistake. He’s going to fuck it up somehow some way. He just knows it. He always fucks something up, and he’s positive Clover is going to end up hating him by the end of the night. And yet… he can’t bring himself to call it off. To go find Clover and tell him they shouldn’t be doing this, that they’re better off as partners on missions. Or to have someone go tell the Ace Op for him, so he wouldn’t have to witness the dejected look on the mans face. Yet… he can’t bring himself to do it.

Brothers… he really is in deep, isn’t he?

Swallowing loudly, he picks at his fingernails, a nervous habit he picked up again after sobering up. How could he be sober and still be a mess? His life wasn’t fair. Laying his back down on the bed, he stares up at the ceiling. Why would Clover ask him of all people out for a date? Clover could have anyone on Atlas, hell… he could have anyone on Remnant if he wanted. Yet Clover asked him on a date, no one else. Well he didn’t really ask, but still. He has a date with Clover Ebi. His life was wild.

A knock on the door tears him from his thoughts, he sits up from the bed quickly and narrows his eyes. He wasn’t expecting anyone to come visit him. Standing slowly, he makes his way to the door. Opening it, there stands Yang. He exhales a large breath, shoulders visibly sagging in relief that it was her. Yang’s eyebrow raises in question before she opens her mouth to speak, “Lookin’ fancy. Hope you’re not going to the same place Blake and I are going.”

Qrow opens the door wider to let her in, she immediately goes to sit on his bed, he follows after her. Trying to shove his nerves away from the immense doom he’s going to go through later tonight, it’s his turn to give his niece a questioning look. “Oh? Where are you two love birds headed?”

He tries not to tease Yang over her blush after he says that, she gives him a dirty look that doesn’t hold any heat. She picks at her pants, he can practically feel her anxiety radiating from her body. He waits for her to speak though, he hasn’t talked one on one with Yang for awhile, he didn’t want to ruin it by saying something that upset her. He was so sick of upsetting her and Ruby. Yang sighs loudly, breath shaky. Qrow knows exactly how she feels.

“We’re going clubbing, probably going to catch dinner afterwards. Qrow… I…” He stays silent, though a soft smile forms on his face as he remembers when he used to club with the rest of his team. Raven would always escape the rest of them, hiding in her own little corner as Summer and Tai had done a dance off. Summer always won. Qrow… Qrow was mostly there for the drinking. If he could hookup with someone that was always a plus. Qrow shakes the memory from his brain as Yang starts to talk again, “I really like her Qrow. I don’t think I’ve ever liked anyone this way before.”

Qrow wraps his arm around her, pulling her close. He was half expecting her to punch him in the face, rather than that though she lets out another sigh, relaxing into him. He rubs her arm gently, his smile never leaving his face. “You’re growing up, firecracker. Honestly I’m surprised it’s taken this long. You and Blake have been circling each other for far too long now. You two are going to beat Ren and Nora at this point.”

Yang laughs, not only at the nickname but the jab at her friends as well. She looks up at him, purple eyes meeting his rusted red ones. Her smile is small, he can tell she has a lot to say but doesn’t know how to word it. They search each others eyes, trying to figure out what each one was thinking. Yang breaks the silence once more. “Mom… Raven. Did she feel this way about dad? Before… you know?”

The Huntsman furrows his eyebrows, searching for what to say. Yang sits up, giving him an expectant look. To be honest, he wasn’t expecting Yang to talk about her mom this open. Though he wasn’t really expecting Ruby to ask about Summer so openly either, he guesses that’s just how things are going to be now. Not that it matters much to him, if Yang and Ruby wanted to know then he was done keeping secrets.

“At first… yeah. She really liked Tai, I don’t want to go as far to say she loved him. I don’t think that woman could love anything,” Yang snorts at that, not bothering to try to hide it. “But then suddenly she just… wasn’t interested. But, Yang, you’re not like her. If you think Blake is the one, then she’s the one. You’re not Raven.”

Yang crosses her arms, distaste clear on her face. “I’ll never be like her.”

Smiling once more, he goes to ruffle Yang’s hair before stopping. He’d absolutely get punched through the wall if he did that. Letting his hand fall to his side awkwardly, he plays with his rings as Yang mulls over her thoughts. It’s a comfortable silence, yet they’re both still full of nerves. Yang less so now, but Qrow feels like if he breathes hard enough he’ll get sucked into the void. Though that doesn’t seem too much like a bad thing, it didn’t make the tightness in his chest go away any.

“So… you never said where you were going. You can’t ask where I’m going then expect me to not ask you.” Yang turns to smirk at him, and in that moment Qrow sees Taiyang. He gives her a lopsided smile before it falls and he shakes his head, nerves coming back full force. Has he ever been this nervous before? He doesn’t think so. He hid his face in his hands, he can’t get out of this now. Yang definitely wouldn’t leave him alone, and she would gladly send Ruby to hunt him down and force the answer out of him. He mumbles, voice weak.

“I have a date.”

_Holy shit._

He has a date.

Yang is silent for what feels like forever, but it was probably only thirty seconds at most, before an unbelievable laugh escapes her mouth. She wasn’t laughing at him, but laughing in shock about the fact that her uncle has a legit date. Shoving his shoulder, she practically screams, “No fucking way! You have to tell me about this. Who is it? How’d it happen? I cannot _wait_ to tell Ruby about this.”

Qrow thinks if he doesn’t die from embarrassment on his date, Yang might as well just kill him now. Groaning, his turns a light shade of pink and flops down onto the bed. He’s half expecting Yang to jump on him, like she did when she was little. Rather than that though she stands quickly, chattering away. He can barely hear her because of the blood rushing in his ears, he was never going to live this down. He hopes, even though he’s certain it’s not happening, that someone is teasing Clover about the date right now. But knowing Clover, he wouldn’t be nearly as flustered. He’d probably be bragging proudly about it.

“-unbelievable. Are you even listening to me? Hellooooo?” She pulls him up so he’s sitting. More than anything he wants to bury himself into the blankets on his bed and never be seen again. She waves her hands around drastically before speaking again, “Qrow, who is it?”

“It’s… uh…” He curses under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck. He feels like some teenager that just got their first crush. He’s a grown man. He shouldn’t feel this way. “It’s Clover.”

“Clover.” Yang repeats the name with a deadpan, before squealing loudly. Qrow swears her and Ruby are the same person, just with a different hair color. “The leader of the Ace Ops?! Qrow you can’t look like that!”

Qrow looks down at himself, furrowing his eyebrows. He thinks he looks fine. Besides, it’s not like he has much to really wear. He wasn’t going to wear the outfit that Clover always sees him in, he does actually change his clothes now. Frowning, he holds his arms out. “What’s wrong with it?”

Yang forces him to stand, looking him up and down with a squint. She turns to dig around in his clothes. He weakly protests, but Yang waves him off with her robotic arm before continuing to dig around. She returns to him, soon enough. Qrow sees exactly when the lightbulb physically flickers in her eyes. She rushes around, grabbing things too quick for Qrow to make out, he stands still, knowing if he moved even just an inch she’d snap at him for it.

“First off… skin. You’ve never buttoned up your shirts all the way before, don’t start now.” She unbuttons the first couple of buttons on his shirt, he tries to contain himself from rolling his eyes, yet Yang still catches him and gives him a stern look. He doesn’t plan on doing anything… like that, with Clover. At least that wasn’t his original plan. If it led to that, he wasn’t one to complain. “I’d say tempt him, but he sees something in you already. Himself probably.”

“Yang!” She cackles, waving off his sputtering and goes back to working her magic. She grabs some hair gel that he didn’t even realize he had, he raises an eyebrow at her. He can’t believe he’s letting his niece help him get ready for a date. He should be grown enough to do this himself. Hell, he should be the one helping her with the date she’s going on. He doubts Yang would ever let that happen though, not that he blames her.

She puts the gel in his hair, making sure his hair actually stays back. It’s been awhile since he’s styled it like this, it’s been awhile since he’s styled his hair in general actually. He never saw the point when his hair would just do whatever it wanted. He hasn’t touched his hair in awhile actually. When was the last time? It had to have been before… before Summer. He can’t think of any other time.

Yang steps back, admiring her work before she steps aside to let Qrow look in the mirror. He already looks much better than he did before. Smiling, he pulls his niece into a hug, who giggles and shoves him away in response. They share a look, a look that says they love each other, and the hope in both of their eyes doesn’t go unnoticed. Qrow pulls her into another hug, he can’t remember the last time they hugged.

“Thanks firecracker…” Yang hugs him back, burying her face in between his neck and shoulder. When she pulls away, her eyes are slightly rimmed red. Qrow doesn’t point it out. Instead, he gives her a smirk and mumbles, “Go get your girl.”

She laughs, that lovestruck look forms on her face as she makes her way to leave. Before she exists the door, she turns back around. She’s hugging herself lightly, in a way it makes her look like a child again. He feels a pang in his chest, wishing that she was a child again. He’d do things differently with her and Ruby, if he got the chance. He would’ve made them proud sooner. Yang opens her mouth, a soft exhale, before she speaks, “Thank you, Uncle Qrow. For everything.”

His niece is gone after that. Off to enjoy her night with her hopefully soon to be girlfriend, Qrow lets himself break down after he can’t hear her footsteps any longer. He sits on the bed, a choked sob escaping his lips as tears pool in his eyes. She hasn’t called him her uncle in a long time… a very long time. He doesn’t try to stifle his crying, too emotional to care if anyone could hear him. He needed that… and he’s sure Yang needed that too.

After he’s done crying, which could’ve been only ten minutes to an hour, he stands and checks himself out in the mirror again. Yang’s touches might’ve seemed miniscule, but they made a huge difference. He makes a mental note to thank her again when he has the chance. Sighing, he rubs his eyes. It probably wasn’t a good idea to cry his eyes out before going on a date. But if Clover says anything, he’ll just come up with the excuse of allergies. Even though Clover won’t believe him.

Glancing down at himself, he lets out a massive sigh as his nerves enter his body again. And then… he leaves for his date with Clover.

\---

Qrow can’t tell if he’s lucky or unlucky for him and Clover meeting at the exact same time. He was kind of hoping to get there before the other man, to let his mind wonder as he waited for Clover to arrive. Yet that wasn’t the case, he doesn’t bother to quicken his pace when he sees the Ace Op down the hall. But he swears he sees the other man walk just a tiny bit faster to get to him. He’s not going to point that out though, he could be wrong. But he could also be right...

Once they’re close enough, they both take a moment to look at each other. Qrow swallows as he stares at the mans outfit, he was wearing a white button down with teal pants that match his eyes, his signature luck symbols still all over his body. Qrow’s too busy trying to make it seem like he wasn’t checking Clover out to notice the other man eyeing him with a hungry look, not even trying to hide the fact that he’s scoping out the Huntsman’s entire body. They catch each others eyes and Clover flashes him an award winning smile, this time Qrow catches Clover’s eyes trailing over his collarbones.

Yeah, he’ll definitely have to thank Yang again later.

“You look gorgeous.” Qrow feels his breath catch, throat tightening slightly. Him? Gorgeous? His neck starts to heat up, his face follows soon after. He’s sure he looks like a tomato but the Ace Op seems nice enough to not point it out. Shoving his hands in his pocket, he stares down at his feet. This was going to be a lot more difficult than he realized.

“Pfft… says you… when you’re looking like… that.” He mumbles, hoping Clover didn’t hear him. Qrow thinks he should just stop hoping things when he’s around Clover, because the man always does the opposite of what he wants. The Ace Op raises an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side slightly. Qrow angles his head to where he can see the man out of his peripheral, but to not focus on him too much. How is he already flustered?

“Don’t do that.” Qrow gives him a questioning look, a noise of confusion coming from his lips. Clover continues, “Be self deprecating. You’re beautiful and you deserve to know it.”

Qrow’s eyes widen, his mouth hangs slightly ajar before he forces it shut. Licking his lips, he rubs the back of his head, not really sure of what else to do other than stand there dumbstruck. After a moment, he nods. He can’t help those remarks, they kind of just… come out. Clover’s soft smile gives away the fact that he knows that. He wonders how much Clover knows about him, is he that much of an open book?

Clover’s smile widens, he holds out his hand as an offering and Qrow shyly takes it. He didn’t think they were going to be holding hands today, well… he didn’t think a lot of things were going to happen. Qrow silently scolds himself, he should just go with the flow rather than trying to plan out how things were going to go. The other man seems to notice his scowl, and decides to start up conversation.

“We’re going to a nice little restaurant on campus, Harriet suggested it to me awhile ago. It soon became my favorite place to go. I wanted to bring you down to Mantle… but I didn’t want you to get cold. Or for us to have to fight Grimm. This night is about you and me… us. It’s going to be perfect. Oh! And this place doesn’t have alcohol, so you don’t have to worry about anything,” Qrow opens his mouth, not sure of what he was going to say but feeling the need to say something anyways, Clover cuts off his failed excuses of talking. “I know you were relapsing, earlier today. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by taking you somewhere that could tempt you.”

Oh. _Fuck._

“You, uh, you noticed that? Damn…” Qrow feels the embarrassment wash over him. He thought he was hiding it pretty good, he’s sure he was. If it wasn’t Clover sitting with him then maybe he could’ve gotten away with playing it off. Clover doesn’t ridicule him for it though, not that Qrow was expecting him too. He just figured the man would find him a little… messy. To put it lightly.

“Nothing to beat yourself up about. I know we’ve only known each other for a short amount of time. But I’m very proud of you. Your nieces are too, I can see it every time they look at you. Same with the others. I’ve… heard from the General and Winter about how you used to be. Before Beacon. Though Winter certainly doesn’t talk kindly about you, I think you’ve come a long way.”

They’re silent after that. Clover rubbing circles on Qrow’s hand with his thumb as they walk, while Qrow tries to process the fact that the Ace Op is _proud_ of him. He’s proud of Qrow and he doesn’t even really know who the Huntsman is. Not on a personal level at least. Not yet.

Qrow feels like he’s going to have a permanent blush the entire night, especially with how Clover was talking to him. With how Clover was _looking_ at him. Qrow finds himself staring down at his and Clover’s intertwined fingers more than he likes to admit. He knows Clover has noticed, but thankfully he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just smirks to himself.

“I assume you haven’t eaten all day? Other than the fruit Ren had gotten you.” Clover’s voice breaks his thoughts, Qrow can only bring himself to nod sheepishly. Oh yeah… Clover was there for that conversation too. How could this man not see he was just a pile of baggage? Why did he want anything to do with him? Clover’s hand tightens on his own, just as his mouth turns into a restricted frown.

“It’s not good to skip meals. And I… I apologize for not doing something sooner. If I would’ve noticed then I would’ve made sure you ate everyday. I should have realized…” Qrow cuts the other man off with a snort and squeezing the Ace Ops’ hand gently. Clover opens his mouth to continue, not bothering to hide the frustration in his face. Qrow decides it’s his turn to cut the man off.

“Hey… no. Don’t blame yourself for me not eating. That’s all on me. You don’t have to worry about that.” Clover doesn’t let his words sway him from his emotions, ready to protest his eyebrows furrow more. Qrow thinks he looks cute like this. Well… Qrow thinks he’s cute in general.

“No, you’re my partner I can’t just let you starve yourself.” Qrow freezes for a moment. Body tensing, he eyes Clover with an intense look. Did Clover just say… _partner?_ He hasn’t had a partner in years. He could’ve sworn he told Clover he liked working alone, that it was better that way. And then he vividly remembers Clover’s little quip of, _“Well I think that’s a shame.”_

“Partner?”

Clover’s eyes widen, as if he had just realized he said that when Qrow pointed it out. He composes himself quick enough, rolling his shoulders back as he goes to speak again. He makes the point of staring straight ahead while Qrow gives him an intent look. Was Clover caught off guard? Qrow bites his lip, thinking he’s like to do that more often. Now’s not the time for those thoughts though.

“Well… yeah. I figured after what we’ve been through we were considered partners by now. Besides, haven’t you noticed we’ve only ever been on missions together?” Clover gives him a quick glance, before he’s looking forward again. Qrow frowns in consideration, looking down at the floor. Yeah… of course he _noticed._ How couldn’t he have? He never thought much of it… just figured they were a good pair and that everyone thought they worked best together.

_Oh._

Clover laughs, catching the look of realization on Qrow’s face. It’s not a condescending laugh, but it’s still a laugh. Qrow bites his lip, staring down at the floor. Him and Clover were partners, and good ones at that. Clover’s thumb rubs against his hand, catching the Huntsmans attention, he looks over and the Ace Op gives him a kind smile. Qrow feels his stomach do a flip.

“O-Okay… partners. I can… yeah, uh, cool.” Qrow feels his face turn more and more red at each word he says, too flustered to look Clover directly in the face. Clover on the other hand, takes great pride in that. His chest puffs out and a confident look overtakes his face. Qrow can’t help but notice his cheeks turning a shaded darker. At least he’s not the only one that feels like… this.

They walk in silence the rest of the way. Qrow trying to process everything that’s happened in the span of their walk while Clover relishes in the fact that he’s making Qrow act like this. Yeah, he’s made Qrow blush and stutter before. But this… it’s almost too much to handle. Qrow feels like he’s going to explode if anything else happens tonight, and he’s sure something will happen.

As soon as they get to the restaurant, Qrow takes in how fancy yet homey it feels. Clover’s quick to converse with the waitress, they seem to be on a first name basis. Clover must come here a lot then. Well, if that’s the case then this little Atlas restaurant must be worth it. Clover doesn’t seem like the type of man to go below anything of his standards. Or well, he doesn’t seem like the type of person to try not to impress Qrow. The waitress gives them both a knowing look as she catches their intertwined hands, and smirk plays on her face as she leads them to their table. Qrow feels his face get hot at the look. He wonders how close Clover and the waitress are as she sends them a teasing wink. Clover clears his throat as he waves his hand to Qrow’s seat, pulling it out for him. Qrow sits gratefully, happy to finally be sitting. He feels as if he stood any longer his legs were going to give out from under him, Clover sits across from him with a smile on his face.

They stay like that for a moment, staring at each other. Qrow thinks he could stay like this forever. He’s curious if Clover feels the same way, but he doesn’t ask. Part of him is afraid too, the other part thinks he knows the answer already. Judging by the way Clover is _still_ looking at him when it’s definitely been long enough now. Qrow bites back a smile, glad to know he’s not the only one who feels this way. Though Clover is certainly better at hiding it than he is, he blames that on his semblance. He’s never acted this way before around people he’s found attractive, but he also never went on dates with those people. Clover was… different.

Clover was really different.

“I want to learn everything that you’re willing to share about yourself.” Clover says, a content smile on his face. Qrow starts to pick at his nails again, nerves acting up. What was he supposed to start with? What was he comfortable with talking about? Biting his lip, he tries to come up with something, anything, to say. Clover seems to notice his internal conflict, and his smile softens.

“Here, let's start slow…” Clover pauses for a moment, as if trying to think of what to say. His eyes travel around the restaurant, Qrow thinks he’s trying to brainstorm what he’s going to say next. He’s glad to know the Ace Op didn’t have everything planned out. He’d rather they both go with the flow, rather than just him. He can’t tell if that’s selfish or not. “Do you have any family? Other than the eight kids you took under your wing.”

Qrow flushes at the last statement, opening his mouth to protest but finds that nothing comes out. Clover’s eyebrow raises, an amused smirk flashing on his face before it’s back to his sweet smile. Qrow continues to pick at his fingernails.

“A sister, Raven, but I wouldn’t call her family. We grew up in a tribe.” Qrow pauses, unsure if he wants to continue or not. He decides there’s not much he really wants to hide with Clover. “Our… we didn’t exactly think the same way on things after Yang was born, she had ran off soon after that. Raven is a coward.”

Clover raises his eyebrows, realizing the subject is a little touchy. He gives Qrow a supportive smile, reaching out and grabbing his hands. Qrow can’t tell if it was to stop him from picking at his nails or to comfort him. The Huntsman decides he’s fine with either, as he looks down at their hands a soft smile comes across his face. Yeah… he could get used to this. Used to Clover.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was a sensitive topic. You’re very strong, you’ve dealt with a lot… I admire that.” _‘I admire you‘_ is what goes unsaid at the end of his sentence, Qrow wonders if Clover knew who he was before they met. Or if Ironwood and Winter had told him everything he knows now, he decides to stop wondering and to actually start asking.

“So… did you know who I was? Before you arrested me on Mantle?” Clover has the audacity to have a guilty smile, before he perks up at the question. Qrow tries to hide his surprise when the man in front of him nods excitedly.

“Yes! You… I saw team STRQ perform at the Vityl Tournament. You inspired me to become a Huntsman, well, part of the reason. The other reason was to prove myself.” Qrow gives him a questioning look, Clover continues. “Ever since I discovered my semblance… people always assumed that that’s all I was good for. That I only had my luck to rely on, with no skill at all. I wanted to show them that my semblance doesn’t matter, but rather that what I do does.”

Clover doesn’t necessarily look like he wants to go into details on that topic, Qrow decides to drop it. Instead, focusing on the fact that Clover practically _idolized_ him. Which was a whole other box of worms to unpackage, and Qrow was very much curious about. Qrow stares at Clover’s face. He’s reminded of Ruby, and how she used to look up to him. Except this is different. To Ruby, he was the cool uncle. The one who did illegal activities with her while Tai yelled at him. But Clover… Clover wasn’t his niece, he was a guy that saw him fight with his team and… _liked_ what he saw.

“You a fan?” He asks lamely, a small smirk forming on his face. He sends Clover a wink who bites his lip in return. Qrow watches the Ace Ops’ adam's apple bob as he swallows harshly. Oh, that’s new.

“You could say I’m your biggest fan.” He whispers, teal eyes giving him a look that Qrow could only describe as desire. Qrow swallows loudly, a shiver going up his spine. But in an instant, the look on Clover’s face is gone, and he’s back to that smile that just never seems to go away. Clover tilts his head, an impossibly innocent look covering his face. Qrow is one hundred percent certain the man is doing this on purpose. There’s no way Clover wouldn’t know what he was doing. And judging by the dark look that flashes across the Ace Ops’ face, he knows _exactly_ what this man is doing. Qrow shakes off the chill that comes across his entire body, though the prickling feeling in the back of his neck doesn’t go away.

He’s about to speak, about to flirt back. But the words die on his lips as the waitress comes back, ready to take their order. He watches as Clover’s jaw twitches, and how the girl cocks an eyebrow at him. Tearing his eyes away from them, he looks at the people in the restaurant. It’s not too full, students of Atlas filtering in and out at a regular pace. He gets thrown back into his own world as Clover removes his hands from his own, Qrow feels a strange pang in his chest, already missing the feeling of the other man’s hands. That thought doesn’t last long, as the waitress speaks up soon after.

“Hello to you two, I’ll be taking care of you both tonight. Shall we start with drinks?” The first thing that pops in Qrow’s head is whiskey, but then he remembers Clover specifically said this place has a no alcohol rule, and the thought gets crushed in his head. Not that he wanted it anyways, he was just craving it. Clover flashes him a comforting look, as if he could read his mind. Qrow thinks he can.

“I’ll have a lemonade, Qrow?” At the man's voice, the Huntsman blanks. He was too caught up in Clover that he hadn’t even thought about what he might want. Since he can’t have booze… he’s not entirely sure what else would suffice. He goes with the first thing that pops into his head.

“Water’s fine…” He croaks, sinking into his seat slightly. The waitress doesn’t point out his cracking voice, neither does Clover. He’s extremely thankful for that. He does note the soft smile that crosses the waitress’ face before it turns into a teasing smirk. He raises his eyebrow, fully expecting her to say something to him. But her words are directed at Clover instead, a twinkle in her eye as she speaks.

“Didn’t tell me you had a date, Clover. Especially with someone so cute.” She sends Qrow a wink, who sinks into his seat a little more as his ears turn pink. Clover’s hands tighten on the table as he watches the Huntsman’s reaction, before yet once again, his neutral smiling face is back. “Lucky you, hmm?”

Qrow can’t tell if that last comment was directed to him or Clover.

“Ha, yeah. Surprised I even got a date. He’s certainly out of my league.” Clover’s eyes never leave his own as he says that, almost like a challenge was in his eyes. Qrow feels his body tense at the heated look in the other man’s eyes, he looks away.

“Are we ready for food, or would you two like a bit more time?” Her voice breaks the trance, Qrow isn’t sure if he’s more annoyed or grateful for her being here right now. Clover’s face doesn’t express any emotion to tell Qrow how the Ace Op feels about it, though he does notice the twitch in his right eyebrow. Clover turns to the waitress, a pleasant smile on his face.

“I’m ready,” he pauses, looking at Qrow. “How about you?”

Qrow nods, he wasn’t really hungry. But he knows it would be rude to just get a water and nothing else. This is a date after all, a date that he agreed to. A date that he hasn’t regretted even once since it had even started. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe things would actually go good for once with him around. He shakes the thought, not wanting to get ahead of himself. Knowing his luck his semblance would come out right when he wasn’t expecting it. He could imagine now the waitress dropping plates and glasses, something catching on fire, him saying something wrong and Clover clocking him in the face, the list could go on and on… and on…

“Uh, yeah, I’ll have noodles.” It’s been a long time since he’s had noodles. Having to live off bread and beans with the kids for far too long, he’s been wanting noodles for awhile. The waitress scribbles it on her notepad, she glances up at Clover.

“The usual, please.” She nods, scribbling whatever the hell it was that was Clover’s ‘usual’ before she flashes them a smile and heads off. Qrow feels a weight being lifted off his shoulders as he watches her leave. Something felt… off with that situation. Whether it was the way Clover seemed to get defensive when the waitress called him cute or something else entirely. He raises a questioning eyebrow to the man, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk about it as he changes the topic once more.

“Noodles, huh?” Clover lets out a soft chuckle, which makes Qrow’s face heat up. He ducks his head, laughing lightly. As he looks up, a look of pure wonder crosses across Clover’s face. Furrowing his eyebrows, Qrow gives him another questioning look. Clover’s face softens, and suddenly his hand is reaching out to cup Qrow’s face. He can’t help the soft gasp that happens, and he definitely can’t help the way his heart starts to pound in his chest. Clover’s hand returns to his own personal space soon after, Qrow misses the contact, but doesn’t protest.

“I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that you think you’re such bad luck.” His tone is soft, almost sad, and Qrow swears that his heart skipped a beat at the words. The slightest hint of a frown is on Clover’s face, and Qrow wants more than anything for that to disappear.

“Heh, well… grew up with people telling me that. I’ve always gotten blamed for everything bad that’s happened.” That did the exact opposite, and now Clover was actually frowning. Qrow isn’t sure how to fix this, so instead he tries to shrug it off with a nonchalant tone, “No biggie.”

“No biggie!?” Clover almost sounds angry, disbelief in his tone. Ah, here it goes. Qrow messing good things up, like always. He winces, discomfort coming across his face. Clover softens his demeanor, shoulders sagging slightly. Qrow wonders how Clover would react if he told the man what the people in his tribe did to him when something went wrong, or that Tai blamed him for Summer and Raven and his girls, or that he blamed himself for every single thing that happened on the journey to Atlas, or… fuck. There was a lot.

“Qrow… you are the most delightful person to be around. Semblance or not, I look forward to every moment I get to share with you. The thought of you brings a smile to my face everyday. You are not the reason for everything bad happening in yours or your loved ones lives. Not everything that bad happens is your fault. You… I’m pretty sure you’re one of the best things that’s happened on Remnant. You’re without a doubt the best thing that’s happened to me.” Qrow wants to tell him that he’s wrong, that he’s an idiot for thinking that and that Clover truly deserves better. He keeps his mouth shut. Later tonight, once he was alone in his room mulling over those words, he’ll cry. But he refuses to do that in such an open place. How can anyone who knows close to nothing about him say such intimate things like that? Just… how? Fuck it, he’s tired of staying quiet.

“How would you know?” His voice holds more spite that he intended, and he feels a wave of guilt at Clover’s taken aback face before it overcomes with sadness. Okay well… maybe he should’ve stayed quiet this one time, that probably would’ve been the best option. Especially since Clover had just said such nice things about him… but how was Clover to know what was his fault and what wasn’t? They barely even knew who each other was, let alone what they’ve gone through.

“Do you think my good luck was the cause of everything good happening in my life? In the peoples lives I cared about? All the good luck in the world couldn’t save the people I loved, Qrow.” He thinks this is the first time he’s ever seen Clover genuinely sad, and regret tugs at his heart stronger than ever. He really should’ve kept his mouth shut. “I’m not defined by my good luck, not anymore. And you shouldn’t be defined by yours. You never should’ve been.”

They’re both silent for a moment, air heavy around them both. Neither of them look at each other, for the first time that night Qrow regrets this date. He should’ve just told Clover no. He wouldn’t have hurt Clover if he has just said no. He swallows, a lump in his throat forming. Clover still hasn’t looked at him.

“I- Clover… I’m sorry.” He mumbles the words, not bothering to look up at the other man. He glares down at the table. Pissed at himself for ruining the relationship with the one good friend he had. He doesn’t expect Clover to accept the apology, hell, he half expects Clover to stand up and just leave him high and dry. Yet… that’s not what happens. Instead, he hears a soft sigh and Clover’s throat clearing. He looks up as Clover speaks.

“That’s the thing, Qrow. It’s not your fault. You’re apologizing for something you didn’t even do.” Qrow opens his mouth to protest, brows furrowing. Clover holds his hand up to shush him, his mouth clamps shut. “I understand why you’re angry. I understand why you act the way you do. But… I want to prove to you that you’re more than just your semblance. You don’t need me to help you realize that. You don’t need me at all. But I would love to be around to help.”

Qrow swallows, before he knows it he’s reaching out to grab Clover’s hand across the table, giving it a light squeeze. Clover clings onto his hand like it’s the only thing he has. They make eye contact, they’re both broken, Qrow more than Clover but still broken all the same. Qrow thinks he’d like to be the one to make Clover feel whole again, he doesn’t doubt for a second that Clover feels the same way about him.

It’s a silent agreement, that they’re going to be there for each other. That they accept each other for who they are. Sometimes words just aren’t needed. Qrow feels his heart flutter as Clover brings their hands to his lips, kissing the Huntsman’s knuckles gently. And once again, Clover’s smile returns. Qrow believes he’s going to get whiplash by the end of the night.

Clover is about to speak, but gets interrupted by the waitress returning with their food. She gives them both a warm smile as she gives it to them, Clover returns it easily enough. Qrow still thinks there’s something going on there, he wonders if Clover would ever tell him one day. He blocks out the small talk that Clover and the waitress have, instead he stares Clover and his intertwined hands. They fit together like puzzle pieces. He can’t help but think he could probably fit in Clover’s arms just as nicely. The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes him and Clover are a perfect match. He ignores the way his heart feels at that thought. His hand twitches, Clover looks towards him with a concerned look. Qrow could drown in those eyes.

“Qrow, you’re staring at me like I’m the most important person on Remnant.”

_That’s because you are._

“Heh… my bad.” Qrow looks down at their food, raising his eyebrow in amusement. “Your usual is a salad?”

Clover looks as if he’s about to prod Qrow with more questions about the way he was looking at him, but soon gets distracted. Staring down at his salad, he looks up just as quickly at Qrow, who holds the look with a smirk on his face. “I like salad!”

“Of course you do.” The snarky tone has no bite to it, their banter is light. Almost as if they’ve been teasing each other all of their lives. It doesn’t feel strange, it feels normal. Qrow likes that, even if it is a scary feeling. At Clover’s chuckle, he decides to stop being so angsty. If he can make this man laugh, that’s all he wants to do. Grabbing a diced tomato from Clover’s bowl, he pops it into his mouth with a wink as the Ace Op gives him a slack jawed look. He watches as Clover squares his shoulders and aims to snatch a noodle from Qrow’s own food, the Huntsman catches his hand with narrowed eyes. They stare at each other for a moment, challenge silent. They spend a few minutes fighting with each other, Qrow trying to defend his noodles from greedy hands. He finds himself not caring about the fact that people are watching them, more content with the pure delight on Clover’s face as he finally snatches a noodle and eats it. Of course Clover won, Qrow wasn’t too mad, or mad at all really. But that doesn’t stop him from his mock pout at losing. Clover practically _coos_ at him.

“Aww, you’re too cute when you lose.” Qrow’s mouth opens in shock, playful heat filling his gaze. Attempting to stab Clover with his fork, the man laughs so hard that his body starts to shake in from of him. He freezes, admiring the sight. After a moment, Clover stops. Qrow doesn’t think it’s possible for Clover to be able to give him that look. That was the absolute _softest_ look he’s ever seen in his life. And he’s seen Yang and Blake staring at each other. Licking his lips, he rubs the back of his neck with a shy smile. This date was going a lot better than he expected, and Clover seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit.

As they start to eat, neither of them can help to stare at each other. Qrow felt like such a fool. Having such a childish crush like this shouldn’t be happening at his age, yet here he is. Clover smiles at him from across the table, and those thoughts in Qrow’s head disappear quick enough. Fuck it… if he was going to feel like this he might as well embrace it. Nothing wrong with being happy for once.

They’re mostly silent as they eat, sharing what almost feels like forbidden looks every now and then. If Qrow is honest, it’s probably the best night he’s ever had. Though every moment with Clover is wonderful. Oh Brothers… he can’t help but think being with Clover is his destiny.

It doesn’t take them long to finish their food, only having a bit of small talk as they ate. Not that Qrow minded, sometimes silence wasn’t so bad. It undoubtedly wasn’t bad with Clover. Said man gives him a small smile before standing, offering his hand to Qrow who gladly takes it. Clover places Lien on the table before they make their way out of the restaurant. He makes note of Clover letting go of his hand to rest it on the small of his back as they walk, and if he leans into the touch a little more than he’d like to admit, Clover doesn’t say a word.

“May I walk you back to where you’re staying?” Clover asks as soon as they get away from everyone. Qrow nods slightly, a soft smile forming on his face as the Ace Op puffs his chest out happily. Who would’ve known that’d make him so happy? Not that Qrow was complaining.

The longer they walk, the more Qrow notices Clover’s arm sneaking around his waist. It’s almost to the point where the man's hand is resting on his hip as they walk. Qrow doesn’t mention it, liking the physical contact. Besides, it gives him the excuse of moving closer to the slightly larger man. That was a huge bonus. Neither of them speak until they’re nearly to Qrow’s room. Clover is the one to break the silence.

“I had a lovely night with you, Qrow.” Clover’s hand gently squeezes his hip, Qrow rolls his shoulders back as a genuine smile takes over his face. Tonight was great, only one hiccup really happened and it got cleared up quickly. Overall, it went a lot better than Qrow was expecting. Though to Clover, it seemed like the date was practically perfect. Glancing at Clover, he notices expectant teal eyes staring back at him.

“Yeah… me too. It was really… it was really nice.” Clover’s smile brightens, as if that was the best thing he’s ever heard in his life. Qrow finds that hard to believe, but doesn’t question it. If Clover was happy, then he was too. Doesn’t matter what he’s happy about. They’re silent once more. Qrow can see the door to his room from here, he feels a pang of sadness. He didn’t really want the night to end yet. It seems that Clover felt the same way.

“So… did I woo you yet?” Qrow practically chokes on his saliva, forgetting that this is what this was all about in the first place. Clover gives him a look, as if he doesn’t already know the answer. Qrow shakes his head fondly, mouth curving up.

“I don’t know. Did you?” The teasing takes Clover by surprise slightly, it startles a laugh out of him. Qrow’s smile grows louder at the sound, the Ace Op gives him a fond look.

“Well I’d certainly like to think so.”

Clover removes his arm from Qrow’s waist, the Huntsman misses the contact dearly. They both look at each other. Qrow thinks there’s a hint of adoration in Clover’s eyes. Qrow is certain the same look is in his own.

“Jokes on you, you already did.” Clover’s smile widens.

“I figured as much.”

They’re at Qrow’s door now. The Huntsman stares at it like it’s the most offending thing he’s ever been around. Turning towards the Ace Op, whatever words he was going to say dies on his lips at the look Clover is giving him. His eyes are hooded, and he’s biting his lip slightly. Qrow feels like prey that just caught the sight of a predator.

“Well… uh… tonight was fun. But I’m… tired. You need your rest too, those bags under your eyes prove it.” He technically wasn’t lying. He was… kind of tired. Even though he probably wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight anyways, mind too clouded and judgement hazy because of Clover. Said man takes a step forward, which makes Qrow take a step back. His back hits the door, and he’s suddenly pinned against it by the Ace Op. Clover leans in arm resting against Qrow’s head. They’re sharing breaths at this point. He whispers.

“I don’t want sleep. I want _you.”_

Qrow thinks he might’ve actually just gone brain dead.

In an instant, they’re kissing. It’s everything Qrow could’ve hoped for. He tilts his head to get a better angle, Clover groans softly in his mouth. The Huntsman tangles his hands in Clover’s shirt, pulling him impossibly closer. Clover rests his hands on Qrow’s hips, fingers looping through his belt loops. Qrow’s never felt sparks fly when he’s kissed someone before, but sparks definitely flew. Clover slots his thigh between Qrow’s legs, a soft moan tears itself from the Huntsman’s lips. Clover quite literally _growls_ at the noise.

As they pull apart, breathless and warm, Clover doesn’t bother trying to hide the fact that he’s eyeing Qrow’s chest. The Huntsman kisses him again, fingers tangling through his hair. One of Clover’s hands sneak around to Qrow’s back, pulling his body closer. Once they pull away again, the first thing Qrow thinks of is that this is an incredibly bad idea. That doesn’t mean he wants to stop it. He doesn’t want to stop it one bit. Neither of them move away from each other, staring into each other's eyes. Clover whispers once more, a question that Qrow couldn’t imagine in a million years saying no to.

“Can I come in?”

Qrow lets him in.

**Author's Note:**

> FAIR GAME RIGHTS. FAIR GAME RIGHTS. FAIR. GAME. RIGHTS.
> 
> 1\. Not only is this the longest fic I've ever written, but it's the longest thing I've written in my entire life. Which is wack. I literally was just joking about reaching 10k with this fic, and he we are. 11k later. Literally wild, I used to dream about being about to write long fics. I admire those who write them more than everyone realizes. I'm just so proud.
> 
> 2\. Monthly fics. Done. Also wack. This whole situation is wack. I'm happy this is the last fic of this year, I truly believe it's the best thing I've ever written and am so genuinely proud of it. I really enjoyed doing this, I'll probably make a long Tumblr post about this later on but if you don't follow me there that's okay. I had so much fun doing this, maybe I'll do it next year too!
> 
> 3\. SO. V7E6 HUH. I WON'T SPOIL BUT IF YOU SAW THE CHAPTER YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. I'M SUING RT FOR EMOTIONAL DAMAGE.
> 
> Okay, I think I'm done now. If you've read, feel free to leave a comment on how you feel! And once again, Fair Game rights.


End file.
